


We Can Run

by bleujimin



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, i cried, i'll add tags as i go, rachel elizabeth dare and reyna avila ramirez-arellano for long ass name club, u will probably cry, while PLANNING IT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-12 02:39:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7081489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleujimin/pseuds/bleujimin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As Crown Prince of Malavita, Nico di Angelo has always been able to stay in the background - he's never gone looking for somebody, never fallen in love. He knows he'll be arranged a marriage with a princess from a foreign country to form an alliance and make connections smooth, even if it isn't what he wants to do. He's never thought about doing what he wants.<br/>King Hades of Malavita decides to invite the royal family of Olympus, a large nearby country, to stay with them for a little while and work out an alliance. The Crown Prince of Olympus, Will Solace, is everything Nico isn't: loud, happy, and openly gay. Nico tries to avoid him to the best of his ability.<br/>But the castle's walls are only so large.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The rich blue coast (Or, Nico sees blue eyes far too many times in one night)

**Author's Note:**

> i felt the need for prince!solangelo and this is the sin that erupted from that need. please enjoy.
> 
> follow my tumblr! @pal3tranquility for my aesthetic blog and @literarylester for my main ((:

Nico di Angelo hates dressing up. 

It’s ironic - he’s been doing it his whole life. Literally. When he was just born, he was put in a tiny tux and shown to all of the country what he looked like.  _ His  _ country. The country he’d one day rule, with a girl by his side and a son in front of him and hopefully daughters, too-

But for the time being, he’s just Nico. Crown Prince of Malavita, his country. Prince Nico, the seventeen year old boy who looks  _ damn  _ good when he’s dressed up. Piper, the royal family’s seamstress, really outdid herself making this. As his best friend Jason would say, “Piper always outdoes herself!” Jason’s kind of got a schoolboy crush on the girl. Nico can’t blame him; she’s gorgeous, just… not his type. 

In front of the mirror, Nico fixes his suit. It’s black (black as the sword that he always has hanging by his side), with a dark gray undershirt and a royal purple tie. Normally he’d say he looks ridiculous, but he really doesn’t. He looks amazing, if he does say so himself.

He does. Say so himself, he means. 

The dark colors compliment his olive skin, almost-curly black hair and dark eyes. He’s pretty good looking, in his opinion. Definitely not below average. In addition to those features, he has an angular face, with long lashes and two small but deep dimples when he smiles. He never does, but it’s a backup for when he  _ does.  _

Behind him, the door bursts open, and in jogs Jason. Nico resists the urge to roll his eyes. Jason’s always  _ bursting  _ in. It’s never an enter - Jason doesn’t  _ enter  _ anywhere. He doesn’t even  _ walk  _ inside. It’s a burst in or a barge in or a stumbles in - one time it was a vomits in (he threw up so hard he fell into the next room. That was really something). 

Nico turns away from the mirror to face his friend, raising a single eyebrow. “Are you finished?” He asks cooley, lips turned down into his usual frown. Jason collects and steadies himself on his (large) feet, all six foot three inches of him. Grinning down at the smaller boy, he nods. (Nico is only five foot ten. He’s not  _ that  _ short, but compared to the giant before him, it’s embarrassingly pitiful). 

“I’m fine,” Jason nods. “I fell. Into the door.” 

“I noticed.” 

“Yeah. You look great!” 

Nico glances into the mirror again. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah!”

“Good,” he smirks. “I know. You look good as well.” He does. Jason’s suit is gray, with a light blue tie and a white undershirt. His short blonde hair is - well, short and blonde, as per usual, and his wire glasses are polished and not broken for once. 

“Piper made the suit just for me. Like, I know she usually does. But she tailored it to go with my hair and eyes. She did such a great job.” Jason turns to check out his backside in the mirror. Before he can compliment the way it makes his rear look (as Nico knows he would), Nico exits the room. Jason trips after him, catching himself on a passing servant. His eyes light up apologetically and rushes out a quick but meaningful, “I’m sorry!”

The tie makes his hair look great, and the gray goes well with the slight grayness in his otherwise light blue eyes. Nico is kind of jealous. Jason always looks amazing. Nico sometimes calls him “Golden Boy.” 

“Let’s just get down to the dining hall,” sighs Nico, who begins the walk across the castle to the Grand Dining Hall. Jason jogs to catch up. “Do you know when the royal family for, uh…”

“Olympus?”

“Olympus. Right. When are they showing up?”

In addition to being his best friend (and comic relief, Nico admits), Jason remembers everything Nico needs to, since he is incapable. Also, Nico doesn’t care. Jason does.

He has to think about it, but after a moment, “Tomorrow.” 

“Then why are we dressed up tonight?” Nico complains.

Jason shrugs. “Practice dinner?” 

Nico doesn’t feel like arguing. 

They make their way down to the dining hall, where soldiers stand in front, guarding the door. They look at Nico and Jason, and all it takes from Nico is a subtle raise of the eyebrow for them to open the doors. Inside, the commotion immediately alerts them that Jason was wrong. Olympus is coming  _ today.  _ In fact, they’re already here. 

So this is why Nico was forced into the suit. 

Masking his surprised expression as quickly as he can, he puts on a stone cold face, void of emotion, and straightens his shoulders. Jason has to almost jog to catch up to his long, fluid strides. Nico stares straight ahead. He avoids eye contact with anyone except for his father, King Hades. The king is sitting at the head of the table, as usual, in a marble black suit. His cape is draped over the back of the chair, a deep purple - the same hue as Nico’s tie. Nico wants to look away - the cold black of his father’s eyes chill his blood - but he cannot, not until his father nods. Hades does, after a moment, and then Nico looks at the queen.

Queen Persephone is a royal bitch - literally. Nico despises her. It’s mutual, their hatred; she dislikes him just as much as he does her. As his stepmother, she seems to think she knows what is best for him. As her stepson, he  _ knows  _ she does not know what is best for him. Mainly because even  _ he  _ doesn’t know. But anything  _ she  _ suggests, he decides, is  _ not  _ what is best for him. 

Despite her bitchy nature, Nico has to give props to the king. She is stunning. Long, dark auburn curls, golden eyes, fair skin. She has a natural affinity for plants, flowers, mostly. She can grow any type of flower and turn it from an ugly seed to a beautiful bud. The black rose pinned to her purple dress is exquisite, meaning it came, clipped, from her garden.

Once she nods, he is able to take a seat. Normally, he would sit at the right of his father, but instead, an unfamiliar man is in his spot. Nico knows his place. He sits at the empty seat, a few down from the King Apollo, next to his half-sister, Hazel, and Jason, and across from a younger Apollo. 

The king and his son, the Crown Prince of Olympus, are both equally picture-esque. They both have sun-tanned skin and an athletic build, with shaggy blonde hair and a natural smile that fits like a jigsaw puzzle on their face. Next to the prince sits a younger boy with dark copper skin and tight, tight braids that run down his skull. He taps a gentle beat on the table and nods to Nico as he sits. On the  _ other  _ side of the prince is a red-haired fidgeting girl. She ignores Nico. He ignores the irritation bubbling in his throat. 

Once Nico and Jason, the last to arrive, sit, Hades rises and nods deeply to the table. It’s the two royal families, plus a few others, which Nico doesn’t care to examine at the moment. He wants to eat and get back to his quarters to be alone. Well, alone  _ maybe,  _ depending on whether or not Jason decides to be with Piper. He doesn’t quite know what to make of those two. Jason only expresses his fondness for the girl, and when she’s tailoring Nico’s clothes, he is usually irritated and not much for conversation. She doesn’t seem to mind that. He thinks he scares her. 

“Welcome,” Hades smiles, which is a truly terrifying thing. It’s not so much of a  _ smile  _ as a smirk, like a predator to his prey. “To Malavita. It’s an honor to host the royal family of Olympus. I trust you will become acquainted with Malavita and all of the things we have to offer, and an opportunity will flourish to form an alliance between our two countries.” He nods towards the food. “For now, though, let’s eat.” 

So they do. Nico, for one, doesn’t eat much - he never does at huge gatherings, really - but others do. Hazel, his half-sister, nudges him with her elbow. 

“You’re not going to eat anything?” She asks. He gives her a small smile and takes a roll. He’ll have a little, just for her. He loves her. She’s only half his sister - a bastard, but her mother died, and Hades took pity on her. She doesn’t look much like him. Nico, that is. Her skin is dark, hair kinky, but she shares the dimples. Hers are shown more often. 

“There. I ate something.” 

She shows him the dimples. “Good,” then turns to talk to the princess of Olympus. On the other side of him, Jason is talking to the boy in front of him, the one with tight braids. Nico supposes he has no choice but to start a conversation with the boy opposite him.

The boy blinks when Nico says, “Sorry about my father. He doesn’t know how to talk to crowds.” The boy has pretty eyes. Nico resists the urge to  _ vomit  _ when the thought passes through his mind. Pretty  _ eyes?  _ Yeah, sure. They’re normal blue. Maybe a little bit brighter and lighter than most blue eyes, but-

Okay, he’s getting ahead of himself. 

“It’s okay,” the boy grins. “You should hear my father. He rambles on and  _ on.  _ It’s quite funny. And pretty embarrassing,” he adds, grimacing. “Anyway, I’m Will.” 

Nico raises an eyebrow. “Nico.” Will is annoying, Nico decides.

“Your castle is really nice. Different than ours. Way different. He’ll never admit it, but my dad hates the gothic stuff. Ours has lots of windows, and the walls are bright. Our colors are blue and white. Like, sky blue. It’s pretty.” Will tilts his head. “Am I rambling? Sorry. I… ramble when I get nervous. I’m kind of nervous.” 

Why would he be nervous? It’s a castle. Nico doesn’t understand, but then again, he never really does. On the outside, Nico shrugs. “It’s… fine. No big deal. Everyone gets nervous, right?” 

Will nods. There’s an awkward lull in the conversation before he starts it up again. “So how old are you?”

“Sixteen,” Nico clears his throat, sitting back in his chair. “And you?”

“Oh, I’m seventeen. You seem older than sixteen. Well, besides your height. You’re pretty short.” Will beams. “That’s okay, though. It’s cute.” After saying that, his eyes widen and his freckle-abundant face turns a deep shade of red. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that.” 

Nico, needless is to say, gets a bit flustered. His own face flushes a bit, and he runs a hand through his hair, making it stand up on his head. “It’s fine,” Nico swallows and shoves a whole roll in his mouth. Jason, who just entered the conversation, raises an eyebrow.

“Nico, why did you just put a whole roll in your mouth?”

“Ahm threthed aht-” Nico attempts with his mouth full, and Jason seems to get it. They’ve been friends for too long, Nico decides. 

“You’re stressed out? Why?”

Will reddens again, and his freckles seem to blend in with the rouge. “I - uh, I’m-” he shakes his head. “Nevermind. Kayla, how you doing, sis?” He turns to his sister and starts muttering quickly to her. 

Nico ducks his head, murmuring something about feeling sick, and scoots his chair back. The screech alerts everyone in the hall to look at him. Under their gaze, he glares with an icy expression, then announces, “I don’t feel well. I will be in my quarters.” 

Jason and Hazel go to stand with him, but Nico stops them with a shake of his head. “Stay. You seem to be getting along quite well, and I don’t want to ruin your evening with my feeling ill.” He walks out of the room quickly, making sure he doesn’t seem hurried. Appearances are everything.

But he can feel the gaze of the Crown Prince as he makes his way across the room.


	2. When it's sudden death, we fight back (Or, Nico shows off his only skill besides brooding)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is definitely shorter than i'd like it to be, but it's all i got right now. enjoy!

Jason wakes Nico up at eight in the morning. Golden Boy always gets up early to “exercise” and do stuff Nico hates. He wakes him up by throwing the duvet off of his body and yelling, “WAKE UP, NICO.”

Nico rolls off the bed. 

He doesn’t  _ mean  _ to roll off the bed, he meant to roll to the other side, but in his groggy and confused state of mind, his sense of direction flipped. So now he’s sprawled out on the floor in only his underwear, yelling swears that aren’t actually swears. (Nico doesn’t swear. Or, he tries not to. His mother - the biological one, not Persephone - forbade him from swearing when he was growing up. It just kind of stuck.)

Jason watches for a moment, amused. After that moment is up, he grabs Nico’s arm and hoists him to a standing position. “I’ve been told to wake you up. Sorry.”

“Who told you that?” Nico falls back onto the bed. He wraps the duvet around his body and sits, not going back to sleep. It’d be pointless now, if somebody told Jason to wake him up. That means he has to  _ do stuff.  _ Gross, but necessary. He  _ is  _ Crown Prince. 

“Hedge.” 

“Great.”

“It’ll be fine. You’re just going to do sword stuff with, uh… the guy from Olympus. The blonde one, but not the king. The prince.” 

Nico’s mouth goes dry. He swallows anyway, irritation rising in his chest. “Will?”

“That’s it,” Jason walks towards the door as a few servant girls enter the room. “I’ll meet you in the dining hall for breakfast. I don’t want to see your naked ass.” 

“I don’t  _ want  _ you to,” Nico stands and follows the girls into the bathroom.

**~*~*~*~**

After Nico’s bathed and dressed (black everything - tunic, pants, boots.), he meets Jason down in the small dining hall, where breakfast is. During breakfast and lunch, it’s not a huge gathering, and if you’re hungry, you can come eat. Dinner’s the big deal. Jason sits across from Nico, already eating. Nico grabs a couple scones and nibbles on them as they talk.

“I haven’t seen Will yet,” Jason comments.

Nico rolls his eyes. “Maybe he’s one of those  _ really  _ early risers. Like five in the morning.” 

“I didn’t see him when I was working out,” Jason frowns. “I-” He’s cut short by the entrance of the Crown Prince of Olympus. Will Solace enters the small dining hall, flanked by a girl with crazy red curls and more freckles than Will himself (truly a revelation), and a tall, tan boy with sweeping black hair and sea-green eyes. Will’s dressed like him, but instead of all black, there’s actually some color to his outfit. 

Will seems… nervous. He’s fidgeting, playing with his hands as he approaches Jason and Nico. “Can we sit here?” He asks, brandishing a stunning smile. Nico nods. “Thanks.” Will sits next to Jason, the girl on the other side of him, and the boy next to Nico. 

“Oh, right,” Will smiles again, and Nico’s chest squeezes. He thinks it’s irritation. This boy just  _ gets on his last nerves.  _ “This is Rachel Elizabeth Dare-” 

“Rachel is fine,” Rachel Elizabeth Dare begins adding jam to her toast. 

“-And this is Percy Jackson.” Will motions to the boy next to Nico. Percy doesn’t say anything; he just starts eating. A lot.

“Uh, Nico.” Nico points to Jason. “Jason.” 

“Hey,” Jason beams. He likes new people. They’re very different. 

Percy and Rachel launch into a conversation that Nico doesn’t care to listen to, so he zones them out and focuses on Jason and Will. “I’m really not in the mood to exercise right now.” 

Jason snorts into his coffee. “When are you ever?”

“That’s a valid point.” 

Will smiles. “I’m excited!” Of  _ course he is.  _ There’s that irritated clench of Nico’s stomach again. “I’m not that good at swordfighting, but I’m pretty good at archery.” 

“Nico’s great at swordfighting. Like, really good,” Jason comments. Nico rolls his eyes. 

“That’s an overstatement. Stop exaggerating.” 

“I’m not exaggerating-”

Nico throws a piece of cereal at him, which shuts him up. For a few more minutes, the two of them mess around and pick at their food until Jason stands suddenly. “Okay, let’s go. Nico and Will, it’s time to exercise.” As the three of them exit the dining hall, Jason mutters to Will, “I kind of have to always look out for Nico. If I don’t make him do something, it won’t get done. Like waking up. He’ll literally sleep forever if I don’t wake him up.” Nico decides not to argue, as he doesn’t want to waste his breath. Besides, it’s true. Jason is ninety nine point ninety nine percent of Nico’s impulse control. And Nico in general.

They make their way outside to the armory, where Will finds a sword to practice with. A tall, pretty (and scary-looking) girl Nico doesn’t recognize is waiting outside in the training arena, leaning on a longsword. When they enter, she stands up straight. “Morning.” 

Will beams. “Good morning, Reyna. Reyna, this is Nico and Jason. Nico and Jason, this is Reyna. She’s the general of the Olympus army. She’s really badass.” 

Reyna doesn’t even blush. She only wields the sword and steps back. “Okay. I know how shitty Will is with a sword, but I want to see Nico’s skill. Nico, whenever you’re ready.” 

Nico almost rolls his eyes again. He doesn’t need  _ lessons.  _ He’s the best swordsman in the castle, and that includes the soldiers. All the good fighters are out putting their skills to use on the field. Still, he complies, and stands there, his shoulders slouched and definitely  _ not  _ in good formation. He can see how skeptical Reyna is, and when she runs at him, fully expecting to make a good hit, Nico’s solid black sword clangs against hers. 

He’s holding his sword in one hand, fighting off the strength of hers with his left arm. After a few seconds, he has to add both hands, because judging from the burning in his arm, he’s not able to fend off Reyna’s raw  _ strength  _ with only one arm. As she swings her sword in an arc, he has to admire her. Reyna’s fucking  _ strong.  _

He catches her mid-swing and sidesteps, sliding the sword out from under hers and sending his to her back, which is wide open. He fully expects to hit it with the flat of his blade, but doesn’t expect her body to twist, and make him step back as she gets back to her feet from her knees, their blades battling for dominance. 

Then they’re dancing. Nico’s spinning and the extension of his left arm is twirling, and he’s having the time of his life. Finally, a  _ match.  _ He’s knocked the swords out of the shitty castle guard’s arms too quickly too many times, and he finally has a worthy opponent. It’s exhilarating; Reyna’s great at this, amazing, even, and Nico can see why she’s the leader of the Olympus army. He doesn’t want to get in her way. She’s  _ unstoppable.  _

But he feels unstoppable, too. And they’re dancing and Nico’s breathing heavier each minute. He doesn’t want to relent - he’s strong, too - but after a lifetime of quick duels and unworthy matches, he feels tired. After about a minute more, he allows his sword to be knocked out of his hand and watches it hit the ground and still with a  _ thud.  _

Nico’s panting, but he’s grinning, too. He holds out his hand and waits for Reyna to accept it. Normally, he hates touching people, but c’mon. This is definitely worth a simple handshake. 

Reyna’s grinning, too. She accepts his hand and shakes - her grip is firm, admirable - and nods to Will. “ _ That’s  _ how you fucking fight.” 

Will and Jason are staring, Will with an expression of awe and Jason with pride. 

“Nice, Nico,” Jason beams. 

“I got tired,” Nico says sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Reyna shrugs. “I underestimated you. I’m sorry about that. Anyway, Will, think you can match that?”

Will laughs nervously. “I doubt it,” he glances to Nico. “You’ll have to give me lessons.”

“Will, I’m here for a reason. And it’s to teach you.  _ I’m  _ the one giving lessons.” Reyna deadpans and sticks her sword in the ground, leaning on it like she did before.

Will grins. “Then you’re a shitty teacher, because I’m still terrible.” 

“Put your sword where your mouth is, Solace, because I don’t care if you’re the Crown Prince or king of Olympus; I’m kicking your ass!” Reyna backs up again like she did for Nico, pulling the blade out of the ground. Will sighs. 

“En guard, I guess,” he says weakly, and raises his blade to a defensive position.


	3. A really good time (Or, Nico lets himself be roped into a party. With people.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have figured out how to continue writing this. lets do this!

Will is incapable of winning even a single duel against Nico. Even when Nico tries to let him win, it doesn’t work, and God knows how  _ that  _ happens. 

Reyna pits them against each other every once in awhile (it’s almost a week after they arrived in Malavita), and after it took Nico exactly thirteen seconds to disarm the older, taller and stronger boy, he showed a little mercy.

But he’d never admit it. 

After a particularly long fight (Nico felt weird during it - he moved to slow, fumbly. It was like moving through syrup or honey.), Jason confronted him while he was getting water and Reyna was correcting Will’s form.

“You went easy on him,” Jason had smirked, causing Nico to get a tad bit annoyed. 

“No, I didn’t,” Nico grumbled, taking a swig of water. He narrowed his eyes as Jason’s smirk widened. “Stop smiling. You’re annoying.” 

“You  _ so  _ went easy on him. That’s so cute. You actually feel  _ affection  _ for somebody?” 

“I show no affection!” Nico yelled. A couple training soldiers looked over at them, but quickly returned to what they were doing after receiving a glare from Nico. Calmer, Nico went back to the conversation at hand. “It’s just a bad day. I’m tired.” 

“Mhm. Sure,” Jason grinned. “That’s what you kids call it these days.” 

Not wanting to argue any longer, Nico stormed back to the pair, who had resorted to chatting. At his (and Jason’s) arrival, Will smiled. 

“Last today, then I’ll let you three go.” Reyna paired Jason with Will, and made comments to Nico on their form and performance. A pang of jealousy went through Nico’s chest, and he didn’t know why. He assumed it was from Will fighting Jason, and the prospect of them becoming close. He guessed he didn’t want to lose Jason, his only friend, thought he’d no idea why. Jason’s an asshat. 

He hardly listened to Reyna. he was focused on the previous duel. Why  _ had  _ he decided to show mercy? It was extremely out of character. He finally chalked it up to Will’s pathetic-ness and left it at that.

A few hours later, and Nico’s getting ready, begrudgingly, for a Night In The Town. After practice, Will invited the three of them (and whoever they wanted to invite) to Asphodel, the capital of Malavita (and the city in which the royal castle is located). There’s a popular tavern there he rented out, or something. 

Jason is forcing Nico to go only because Nico has no other friends, and Jason has lots. He wants Nico to meet his other friends. Nico thinks it’s a stupid reason.

Nevertheless, he’s choosing something to wear. He’s groomed (and by “groomed”, he means he’s clean, shaved, and his hair is at his normal, almost curly state and not in the afro it sometimes gets itself in), and now he needs to find something so he isn’t totally naked.

He doesn’t know why this is such a big deal. It’s  _ not.  _ He should go in pajama pants and a ratty tee shirt. he doesn’t even  _ like  _ Will - he’s annoying and makes Nico’s stomach hurt. Yeah, he’s so irritating, Nico gets physically ill from being in his presence. Don’t ask him why he’s not pulling out the crown and unplugging the idea. Hey, he’s Crown Prince of a powerful country - he does what he  _ wants.  _

Except for this. And most things, really. But he doesn’t want to dawn on that. 

No, he needs to find something to  _ put on his body.  _ He’s standing in the middle of his closet in only underwear, seriously contemplating over whether he wants to pull all of his hair out by the fistfuls or literally inhale bleach when a knock sounds on the door. It opens slightly, just enough for Piper McLean to poke her head in. 

Nico sighs in relief. “Oh, thank god.” 

She smiles. She’s so pretty, Nico thinks. Pretty, but not his type. She’s too into Jason and he’s too into her. Plus, she’s only ever been in the friendzone. She’s never, ever been on his “to-do” list. She  _ is  _ beautiful, though; even he can appreciate that.

She steps inside, her multicolored eyes glittering. “having a crisis?” She asks,not even questioning his current… fashion choices. 

“No,” he protests. “Listen. I don’t care about tonight.”

“Oh, sure. That’s why you’ve been standing in here in your underwear for the past half hour,” she teases. Unlike Jason, he can’t get mad at her. She’s always only ever been sweet to him. 

“I always need to look good. I’m a prince.” 

“And a handsome one at that. Your hair looks great. Who are you dolling up for?” It’s a breezy question, very nonchalant, spoken as she leafs through hanging shirts. Still, Nico stiffens. She’s an excellent speaker; she can persuade just about anyone to do anything. Yes,  _ anything.  _ Once, she persuaded him to interrupt his father’s court in just his underwear. They were young, okay? And of course Nico didn’t rat her out and risk her mother, the former seamstress, to lose her job.

“Nobody.” 

“Ah.” There’s a short silence, filled when she hands him an outfit. “Try this.” 

He does. While he’s getting dressed, she busies herself with hanging up a few shirts he dropped on the floor during his clothing catastrophe. 

Nico checks in the mirror. It’s casual, but still nice. He looks good, he thinks. Tight-ish pants, a loose-ish long sleeved button-up with the sleeves rolled up halfway. They’re both black. He’s in his normal boots. He sighs in relief again. “Thanks.” 

“Of course,” Piper beams. “It’s my job. Anyway, I should go get ready. I’ll see you there.” 

“You’re going?”   
She blinks at him. “Yes? Jason invited me.” 

“Oh. Good,” Nico smirks. “It’s about time he grew a pair.” 

She fails at hiding her blush on the way out. “Yes, well…” Or her smile, for that matter. “He did. See you later.”

“See you, Piper.” She shuts the door behind her, leaving Nico alone.

**~*~*~*~**

Nico occupies himself for an hour and a half after that until Jason tells him it’s time to go. The two of them walk out of the castle and off the grounds, into the streets of Asphodel.

Nobody recognizes Nico, thank god. His sword is at his side just in case somebody attacks them, but it’s uneventful. He guesses he’s different in normal clothes. The general public rarely sees him in anything other than his finest and armor. 

Will rented out a tavern called Tapsters’. A soldier immediately lets Nico and Jason inside, recognizing the young prince, as he should. There’s a pianoforte and cello duet playing background music in the corner, and everyone’s hanging around, chatting. The room seems to still when Nico enters. A couple people murmur, “ _ Hey, that’s the prince.” “Di Angelo?” “Yeah. He’s kinda scary looking.” _

Will beams at Nico’s appearance. Well, Jason’s, probably. He doesn’t know why Will would be smiling for him. Anyway, the other prince approaches the pair and hugs them.  _ Both  _ of them. It’s… weird. Nico decides he doesn’t… mind, necessarily, but he wouldn’t initiate it. He’s not huge on physical contact. 

“Hey, guys. Thanks for showing up!” Will turns to face the crowd. “Okay, everyone who doesn’t know him, this is Nico di Angelo, prince of Malavita. His best friend, lord of Asphodel, Jason Grace.” 

Jason waves. Nico does not. Everyone says a hello, and the room’s normal again.

There’s not a huge crowd. It’s an okay number - Jason and Will are both outgoing, friendly people, who make friends easily. Nico recognizes the girl and guy duo from breakfast a few days ago, and a couple of Jason’s buddies, including-

“Jason!” Piper runs into Jason’s arms and hugs him, making Jason relax visibly., like he melts into her arms. Piper’s changed from her servant’s uniform to a pretty white dress and leather jacket. 

“Heya, Pipes,” Jason kisses her hand. “How’s my girl?” 

“Great. Hey, Nico. Nice seeing you again.” 

“Uh, you, too. I’ll leave you two alone.” With that, he enters the crowd of people…

...and immediately regrets it. He doesn’t know anyone. He’s standing there like an idiot, a young boy wearing all black who looks completely out of place. Everyone’s smiling and laughing and having a good time and Nico’s kind of panicking  _ oh god why did he agree to this, it’s terrible- _

He’s snapped out of his trance when someone grabs his hand and yanks him to the back of the crowd, away from other people. 

Will Solace bounces on the balls of his feet, smiling bashfully. “Hey, Nico. You seemed to be freaking out.”

Nico swallows. He takes a deep breath and -  _ there’s that feeling.  _ Why is he irritated? Will just saved him from publicly making a fool out of himself. 

“...I’m fine.” Nico sniffs. “Thank you. I… don’t know anyone here. Except for Jason and Piper. And you, I guess.” 

“I’ll introduce you!” Will perks up, and Nico wonders if encouraging him was a bad idea. Not so much encouraging, but maybe not slamming the idea of socialization to the ground. It’s too late, though; Will grabs his hand to lead him around, and it fucking  _ shocks  _ him. He almost yanks his hand away, but Will is holding on tightly, and the tingling in his arm feels sort of nice. Not in a masochistic sort of way. It doesn’t  _ hurt,  _ per se, it just feels sort of foreign.

Will stops in front of the boy from breakfast. Nico can’t remember his name, or if Will even introduced him. Knowing Will, he probably did. The boy is talking to a blonde girl Nico recognizes - Anna? Annabelle? 

“I think you two already met, but you can meet again. Nico, this is Percy Jackson. Percy, Nico di Angelo.” Will steps aside. Nico silently curses him.

Percy grins. He looks happier than during breakfast. “Hey, Nico!” He does a weird bro handshake, which requires Will to let go of his hand. He’s almost sorry. Nico tries to copy the handshake, but it doesn’t exactly work out. “Nice to meet you,” then Percy pales. “Oh. You’re - the prince. Uh, your highness? His majesty?”

Will giggles. Nico shoots him a look. “Please don’t call me that,” he mutters. “Just Nico.” Percy is kind of attractive, Nico notes, but not his type. The girl he’s talking to isn’t Nico’s type, either. Nico wonders for a second if he even  _ has  _ a type, or if it’s just a random spur of feelings. 

She looks up from a book she’s reading (who brings a book to a tavern?) and nods to Nico and Will. “Your highness. Your highness,” she addresses them respectively, “Good meeting you both. I’m Annabeth Chase,” Annabeth holds out her hand. The take turns shaking it.

“Just Nico,” he corrects.

“I’m Will!” 

“Yeah,  _ Annabeth.  _ Don’t say ‘your majesty.’ Duh,” Percy grins. 

Annabeth rolls her intense gray eyes. “I said ‘your highness’, Seaweed Brain.” 

“Hey! Where did that come from?!”

“I don’t know! Would you rather me call you Horse Dung?”

“I’d rather you be nice!”

Will and Nico leave them to their arguing. “Percy is in charge of Olympus’ horses. I’m pretty sure Annabeth’s a Malavitan scholar?” Nico nods. Now that he mentions it, Nico’s definitely seen her around. Will grabs Nico’s hand again, nudging him with his shoulder. “Do you want to meet more people?”

Nico appreciates the choice he’s being given. Sighing, he shrugs. This isn’t so bad after all.

“I guess so,” he admits defeat, ready to let Will pull him around the room.


	4. Nobody prays for the heartless (Or, Nico finds out his future)

Boy, does Will pull him around the room. Nico has the pleasure of meeting Thalia, head of the Olympian archers. She’s kind of intimidating, but funny and nice. Reyna is there, too, talking to Thalia. 

Nico meets Leo, Malavita’s royal blacksmith. Will apparently got lost while exploring the castle and ended up in the forge. There, he hung out with Leo for a while. Leo’s some sort of smithing prodigy. Or something. Nico doesn’t like him much; he’s too loud and annoying.

In the middle of listening to a conversation between Will, Leo and Percy, Nico sees his sister out of the corner of his eye. He excuses himself to go talk to her. 

Hazel is sitting on a table, holding hands with a boy Nico’s never seen before. He’s tall and broad, very muscular. At her brother’s arrival, Hazel drops his hands and looks at Nico with a guilty expression. 

“Hazel,” he says carefully. “Who’s this?” 

“Hey, Nic,” she smiles. “This is Frank Zhang. He’s… my boyfriend.”

“It’s an honor to finally meet you, your highness.” Frank Zhang bows deeply, wearing a nervous smile when he rises. 

“I didn’t know you have a boyfriend,” Nico perches on the edge of the neighboring table. 

“He’s really nice. He’s a soldier - going to be general soon. Isn’t that cool? He’s-”

Nico raises his eyebrows. “Hazel, you don’t have to defend him to me. I’m happy for you both.” Nico’s eyes narrow at Frank. “But if you hurt her, I will end you.” 

Frank swallows. “Y-yes, sir.” 

Will sidles up beside Nico, sending the trio a famous “Will Solace Smile”. 

“I haven’t met you yet. I’m Will Solace,” he shakes Frank’s hand and kisses Hazel’s.

“Watch out, Solace. That’s my sister. And apparently she’s got a boyfriend.” 

Will laughs. Guffaws, really. Nico’s never used the word but now seems like a good time to start. “Congratulations. But it’d be the boyfriend you should worry about.” He tilts his head. “You didn’t know? I’m gay.” 

Oh.

A Crown Prince - gay? I mean, sure, it’s not unheard of. But openly? His father… doesn’t care? 

Will must’ve seen his expression, because he starts explaining. “I’ve known I was gay since I was, like, seven. I told my dad and he’s cool with it. Kayla’s kid will be the heir, or maybe I’ll back down. I’m not sure yet.” 

Nico doesn’t know what to say. He’s speechless. Will’s life is so…  _ perfect.  _ He’s free to do literally whatever he wants. “Your dad just… lets you?” 

“Yeah. I mean, the only one who can punish a gay prince is the king. He knows it’s something I can’t change about myself, nor what I would  _ want  _ to change. It’s a part of me.” His expression turns sympathetic. “I take it your father doesn’t feel the same?”

Hazel shakes her head. “He’d kill me if he knew I’m with Frank. A bastard who’s also dating a commoner? Blasphemy!” 

“Bastard?” Will seems actually confused. “What is that?” 

“You’re kidding, right?” Nico sighs. “Her mother wasn’t married to our father. He was married to my mother, Queen Maria.”   
“Oh!” Will laughs. “That makes me a bastard, then. And Kayla and Austin. Dad doesn’t care. We’re still his children, and he’s never been married.” 

“Your dad sounds amazing,” Hazel says, and Nico nods in agreement. 

Will shrugs. “It’s… yeah, he’s pretty cool. Hey, Nico, come here - I want you to meet Kayla and Austin. They just got here.” Will pulls Nico away, and Nico seriously tries to ignore the tingling in his arm. 

Kayla and Austin are mock slow-dancing together near the musicians. They’re laughing as Kayla spins Austin around. The girl from breakfast watches and cheers them on. Before she even hears or sees them approach, she goes, “Hey, Will. Hey, Nico.” 

Nico freezes, yanking away his arm. “What the-” 

She turns around. Her wild red curls are pulled back, away from her face. Laughing, she waves to the boys. “Sorry,” she says. “I couldn’t help it.” 

Nico’s head is swimming. “O-Okay.” 

Will is chuckling, too. “Rachel’s a clairvoyant. She can tell the future.”

“Ah.” 

“No, I’m serious.”   
“I believe you,” Nico’s having a hard time doing so, but he’s trying. “Okay. Tell my future.” God, he’s going to regret this.” 

Rachel holds out her hands, palms up. “Give me your hands.” Nico does so. Rachel shuts her eyes and is silent for a moment. Then she speaks. Her voice is different - rough, lower. Austin and Kayla join them to watch, their dancing forgotten. 

“You will become close to somebody you deem as odd,” she rasps. “On the day of doom, you will meet yourself. Love works against all odds, but everything happens for a reason. You are a key role in completely changing somebody’s life, and - you will be betrayed by someone you thought was trustworthy.” Her eyes open, and she simpers. “So?”

Nico stares. He drops his hands to his sides, his fists clenching. Day of doom… love… betrayed? A key role in changing someone’s life. God, he feels sick. Nauseous. He has to get out of here. 

Rachel, Kayla, Austin and Will stare as he fumbles with his words. “I-” he chokes, “I don’t feel well. I’m going - going home. To the castle.” He runs for the door, barely registering the calls of protest he gets. 

The air is cool outside. He disregards the soldier posted at the door and sprints away, heading for the castle. Instead of going through the front, he goes to the side and climbs through a chink in the wall, into a small clove between the wall and a shed. He leans against the shed once he’s in, pulling his knees to his chest. He just needs to  _ calm down.  _ She was faking it. It’s not real. 

His mind wanders to the conversation about King Apollo they had earlier. Will is gay. And open about it. Nico doesn’t know what to think. He doesn’t know what to do at all. He’s always been more interested in boys than he should be, he knows. He’s never been with one. He’s been with girls - ever since he was fourteen, he’s slept with girls. Attractive maids, a couple lords’ daughters that came to visit. He never wanted anything more than sex. Just something to calm his hormones and mind and boredom. Better than using his hand, definitely.

And, sure, he never really liked them. He didn’t know how ‘like’ feels. He still doesn’t. Jason claims he feels “butterflies” with Piper, but dammit, how do  _ they  _ feel? 

Rustling from the entrance of the clove makes Nico tense. Who  _ is  _ that? Nobody knows of this place. Not even-

Jason? Blonde hair peeks through green underbrush. For a split second, Nico thinks it’s Jason. Then the person trips into full view and Nico groans.

“Solace. Why are you here?” He asks. Will scoots so he’s across from Nico, his knees pressed against the younger boy’s. 

“You ran out. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Will turns pink, visible even in the dim light of the clove. “I followed you. So, are you?”

“What?” 

Will blushes even redder. “Okay. Are you okay?”   
“Oh. Yeah, I’m fine. A little overwhelmed, but fine.” 

“Rachel was really scared she scarred you for life or something. I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried.” Will looks down. 

“Why don’t you go tell her so she doesn’t worry anymore?” Nico suggests dryly. Will snorts. 

“Trying to get rid of me? I don’t rest  _ that  _ easy.” There’s a second’s hesitation before he continues. “What would you want to be if you weren’t a prince? I’d want to be a doctor. If I don’t become king, I’m going to be a doctor. I like helping people.” 

Nico shrugs. “Why would I want to be anything other than a prince? Or a king? I get to order people around all day. I can do whatever I want.” 

“Stupid! I said  _ if you weren’t a prince.  _ Not if you stopped becoming one. If you were born a commoner.” 

Nico rolls his eyes. “Gross. I’d kill myself.” 

Will smacks his arm. “Nico di Angelo! Don’t say that!” 

“Don’t hit me! God, you’re annoying.” 

“ _ I’m  _ annoying?”

“Yes. So annoying.”

“Then why do you still talk to me?” Will smirks. “Boom. Can’t get out of that one.” 

Nico snorts, “You’re so pathetic, I can’t bring myself to let you be friend-less. I’m the only one who will tolerate your irritating nature.” 

“Oh, I’ll get you for that.”

“Yeah?” Nico taunts. “Get me.” 

Instead of “getting him”, Will rolls onto his back and meets Nico’s gaze. “Hey.”

Nico arches an eyebrow. “Hey.” 

Will smiles and looks away. “Sorry for bothering you. I didn’t know if you’re the kind of person to like company when they’re upset, like me, or not.” 

“It’s cool. I don’t like company, normally. But, uh, this is okay.” 

Will looks back at Nico. His face is happy, and it seems like he’s trying to hold back a smile. “Really?” 

Nico nods, and he surprises himself with his honesty. God, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s clueless and tired and confused and  _ fed up.  _ Will is irritating and infuriating and so  _ stupid.  _ He’s such a dumbass. But Nico finds himself wishing that time would stop, and they’d stay like this forever, just the two of them. And that scares him more than anything. 

Instead of actually becoming mad while bantering, Nico was smiling the whole time. Kind of. It was small, but there. It made his face hurt - it’s foreign to him, smiling, albeit nice. Nico doesn’t want it to end. 

“Really.” He nods to the older boy, and he means it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all the kudos and comments!! y'all don't realize how much it means to me (((:


End file.
